My Kind Of Love
by NowAndForever1
Summary: He was the musical mastermind who thought he knew everything about music and it's meaning. She was the carefree rock star who loved entertaining just for the fun of it. When these two souls meet, he teaches her to appriciate music for what it really is, and she teaches him to appriciate life and all that it has to offer. - used to be Music To My Ears.
1. A Friday Night

**Okay, so here goes nothing! This was kind of a spur of the moment idea, so please review if you want me to continue this!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. All rights go to their respective owners.**

* * *

Okay. So, maybe mixing Vodka together with whiskey and some tequila wasn't the best idea they ever had, and especially after three shots, but it definitely made the night more memorable.

Elena was only half-aware of the girl and the guy she was grinding up against, but she didn't really mind. She didn't care that the girl was getting way to close to areas she'd disclosed and that something from behind her, near the guy, was poking her leg. She was too far gone to care.

''Elena Gilbert, get your ass on stage!'' she heard someone yell.

Elena looked up with amusement to see who addressed her, and, of course, her blonde friend with the sequined top and impossibly short skirt was asking for her attention.

Elena pouted. ''No! I'm busy with Katie and Trevor!''

''My name is Lily, and that's Kevin,'' the redhead lazily corrected her, not really caring she forgot who they were.

Elena shrugged. ''Oh, whatever.''

''Come on, rockstar! Show us some lovin'!'' Bonnie slurred, who was practically dry humping the bar.

Elena rolled her eyes and walked over to the DJ, whom had obviously heard from Caroline that she sang.

Elena rolled her eyes and wobbled over to the DJ, who was staring her down hungrily. Normally Elena would´ve ignored him or brushed him off, but – again, too drunk to care. Instead, she laid it on think by leaning over the turntable, her abdomen brushing his hand. ''Care to help a girl out?'' she purred.

Once Elena was on stage, it was like she sobered up all together – okay, that was a lie -. The lights hit her, hard, assaulting her senses and heating up the room a couple of degrees, but she didn't mind. She loved it, reveled in the way people stared up at her, the pretty brunette in a bandage dress and high heels standing on the stage, microphone in hand. They were waiting for her to sing, to better their evening and entertain them to her heart's content. This is what she lived for. She didn't need the musical degree, like her sister, or the praise her mother has gotten in her day. She was like her father, the rock star that had settled down as soon as he met the love of his life. Her father has taught her from when she was little that you had better enjoy the music you make. Every note, every word, needs to be felt within your core, and you need to make your audience feel why you love what you do, give them a reason to come back by pouring everything you have into every word you sung an every cord you strung.

So that's what she did. The second the music stopped and people curiously started eyeballing her, she forgot the world existed and lost herself in the music that poured out of her like liquid out of glass.

_I saw him dancin' there by the record machine_  
_I knew he must a been about seventeen_  
_The beat was goin' strong_  
_Playin' my favorite song_  
_An' I could tell it wouldn't be long_  
_Till he was with me, yeah me_  
_And I could tell it wouldn't be long_  
_Till he was with me, yeah me, singin'_

_I love rock n' roll_  
_So put another dime in the jukebox, baby_  
_I love rock n' roll_  
_So come and take your time and dance with me_

_Ow!_

_He smiled so I got up and asked for his name_  
_That don't matter, he said,_  
_'Cause it's all the same_

_Said can I take you home where we can be alone_

_An' next we were movin' on_  
_He was with me, yeah me_

_Next we were movin' on_  
_He was with me, yeah me, singin'_  
_I love rock n' roll_  
_So put another dime in the jukebox, baby_  
_I love rock n' roll_  
_So come an' take your time an' dance with me_

_Ow!_

_Said can I take you home where we can be alone_

_Next we were movin' on_  
_He was with me, yeah me,_  
_An we'll be movin' on_  
_An' singin' that same old song_  
_Yeah with me, singin'_

_I love rock n' roll_  
_So put another dime in the jukebox, baby_  
_I love rock n' roll_  
_So come an' take your time an' dance with me_

She was moving along with the music, the beat guiding the movements of her limbs. She felt like a true rock star in that moment, enjoying the whistles that could be heard from the crowd when she jumped on top the bar and used her hands to enunciate the words she was singing. People were dancing to the beat of the music and gyrating their hips to the melody of her voice.

_I love rock n' roll_  
_So put another dime in the jukebox, baby_  
_I love rock n' roll_  
_So come an' take your time an' dance with_

_I love rock n' roll_  
_So put another dime in the jukebox, baby_  
_I love rock n' roll_  
_So come an' take your time an' dance with_

_I love rock n' roll_  
_So put another dime in the jukebox, baby_  
_I love rock n' roll_  
_So come an' take your time an' dance with_

_I love rock n' roll_  
_So put another dime in the jukebox, baby_  
_I love rock n' roll_  
_So come an' take your time an' dance with me_

Once the song was over, Elena looked up toward the dancing crowd, suddenly erupting in a wild applause. Elena dramatically bowed, and she threw her head back up, bringing her curls with her. Getting off the bar, the dance music started again, and when Elena gave the microphone back to the DJ, who was staring at her in awe, she smiled at him and walked off towards her friends, who were engrossed in a game of pool. As soon as their best friend came up to them, the game seemed to have been forgotten.

''That was amazing, as usual!'' Bonnie exclaimed and hugged her friend.

''Our very own Joan Jett. Though the sexiness-level does go more towards Britney Spears,'' Caroline remarked thoughtfully.

Elena laughed. ''Whatever, guys! Just order up the shots!''

''Hey! There's something I can do better than you!'' Bonnie joked, to which all of them laughed again.

''So Caroline started, leaning against the pool table, watching as Elena lined up her shot.

''So..'' Elena copied in the same tone.

''What if I told you that my mom called yesterday asking if we wanted to return back to Mystic Falls for the weekend?''

''What'd you say?'' Elena asked. She was having difficulty dividing her attention between her friend, watching in amusement as Bonnie forgot their orders and was flirting with the bartender, lining up a good shot and checking out the butt of a cute guy that walked past her.

''Are you and Bonnie coming back with me? Stefan's family is going back, too, so I figure Katherine will be home, too…''

''Ughh! That'll be bucket loads of fun. The Gilbert Sisters back in the game,'' Elena quipped.

''Oh, come on, she's not that bad.''

''Nooo, she's all rainbows and sunshine until someone compliments me or something,'' Elena said with a frown. She loved her sister to death, but they were so incredibly different their personalities couldn't help but clash.

''Quit the drama, princesses! Let's drink!'' Bonnie announced with three shots between her fingers.

Elena grinned and took her shot. ''Let's!'' the three of them cried in unison.

When they sat their shot glasses back on the table, Caroline started climbing on it.

''What are you doing?'' Elena screamed at her friend, whom was bringing Bonnie up with her.

''Dancing! There is no room up there and we get the perfect vantage point for hot guy from up here!''

Sure enough thanks to Caroline's logic, whom was now dancing sexily against her best friend, they were definitely turning heads in the club.

''Oh, screw it! Let's go back to Mystic Falls this weekend!'' Elena announced wildly before climbing up on the table with them, resting her hands on Caroline's hips and dancing with them, for a minute forgetting why she wouldn't want to return, she enjoyed the music that flowed through the vibrating speakers, and the alcohol clouding her judgment.

* * *

On the other side of town, on the Upper East Side, Damon Salvatore walked into his apartment and immediately took solace behind his piano.

He stared intently at the keys, trying to muster up the energy to write a melody that most of the time just came flowing out of his fingers as easy as it was for him to breathe. But this time, nothing. His head was still replaying the millionth fight he had with his so-called longtime girlfriend Katherine Gilbert.

''_I told you yesterday in between classes about going to Mystic Falls over the weekend! My parents said they had some big announcement to make and they wanted to finally meet you! Come on, Damon, you promised!'' Katherine whined when they got back from another lavish party hosted by the school they were both teaching at._

''_And I told you weeks before that, Katherine, that I would be busy with the upcoming concertos and solo recitals! You've known for weeks because you volunteered, too!'' he argued, trying to stay as calm as possible, which wasn't always the easiest thing to do when having someone like Katherine around, ''besides, weren't you the one that said that music would always come first to you?''_

_Katherine sighed and flipped her professionally done hair over her shoulder, strutting into her apartment with a sashay in her steps, no doubt designed to make him do whatever she wanted him to. And the desired effect seemed to have worked for a second, because it didn't matter how cool and controlled one knows Damon Salvatore to be, he was still a man with a working libido, and no one could resist Katherine Pierce when she was in a pencil skirt and sky-high heels strutting her stuff right in front of you with the purpose of getting you to notice her. But, then he realized why he was mad at her again, and he stared her down, impatiently waiting for her explanation._

''_I already talked to the principal and the dean about it, and seeing as we are two of the youngest and most prestigious teachers at Julliard he said a small weekend off couldn't do any harm,'' she explained while perching herself up on the kitchen counter, watching him intently while biting her lip. She knew he was going to cave, they always did. It was just a matter of time before she got what she wanted._

_Damon groaned in annoyance. ''And you didn't even tell me!''_

''_You should be happy I did that for you, Damon,'' she said, licking her lips as she watched him take of his blazer and tie, ''you get a weekend off to relax, and who knows what we get to do in my old room. You get to meet my family, and besides, Stefan is going, too,'' she added as an afterthought. _

''_My brother is going? Why on earth would he do that?'' Damon asked, visibly taken aback by this new developement._

''_He's dating my little sister's best friend. Carol, or Caramel or something, doesn't matter. He told me last week and I suggested we'd head out, too, seeing as our parents had some big announcement to make anyway. I even convinced your parents to go with us! See it as family weekend between two extremely musically talented families,'' she explained with a big, and still ever so sultry, grin._

''_Wait, hold up – go back there for a second. My parents?'' he asked, exasperated, his eyes wide and his jaw unhinged. _

_Katherine rolled her eyes. She honestly couldn't understand why he wasn't happy about this. _

''_Yes, your parents. Apparently your brother filled her in on Caroline and my family and she was beyond happy to come with us. Knowing Isabella Salvatore she worked her charm and made your father go with us, too.''_

''_Yippee,'' he commented dryly, walking over to the wet bar to pour himself a much needed drink. Or two. _

_Katherine sighed again, and hopped off the counter to walk towards her devilishly handsome boyfriend. Her hands crawled up his broad and muscular back from under his dress shirt, and she pressed a soft kiss on his ear, sucking his earlobe in her mouth, enjoying seeing him quiver._

''_Katherine..'' he started._

''_Shh, don't say anything. I already booked the tickets, and my parents would be extremely disappointed if you didn't come,'' she complained with a pout._

''_Why would you give up this weekend to go back home?''_

''_I want you to meet them, don't you get it? I want to take this relationship to the next level.''_

_He turned around in her arms, and kissed her on the lips. ''Really?'' he asked, not fully convinced._

''_Please, Damon. This would mean the world to me.''_

_Damon sighed, looking into her dark brown eyes. She was beautiful, there was no doubt about that, but he was always a little disappointed when he looked into those eyes. There wasn't any warmth or kindness in there. There was always lust and darkness. She always seemed to look at him as if she was up to something, as if she had all the secrets of the world buried behind those irises. _

''_Fine. I'll go with you,'' he relented with a sigh._

That evening left him emotionally drained, and that was only one day in the week of dating Katherine. He looked out of the part of the apartment that completely consisted out of glass, and stared at the beautiful city he called home. He just got home from a night at the bar together with his best friend and music producer Alaric Saltzman, where he spent the night once again drinking his Bourbon and unnecessarily defending his relationship with Katherine. Ric never understood why Damon was with her. He didn't understand his friend when he told Ric that Katherine and him were one and the same, two souls who knew for sure that the only thing in their life that mattered was their music. They didn't have anyone to go home to at the end of the night, no one they could be affectionate with in public because they were just not that kind of people. They both were the black sheep of the family, and they both were too talented for others to think of them as 'part of the group'.

Since Damon could remember, his life was all about music. He started playing piano when he was five years old, and soon different other instruments followed suit. He was a brilliant music composer and could conjure up a melody the second his fingers settled on the piano keys, or the minute he felt the guitar resting on his thigh. His father was an esteemed man in the world of music. He was passionate and serious about his music, until recently he forgot all about its meaning and became an emotionally crippled robot, settling for being a part of the board at Julliard School. His mother used to be his tour groupie. Seriously. It was no secret his mother was gorgeous in her young age – she still was now, just not in the sense where she looks twenty years old – and she was a musical miracle herself. She possessed a hypnotizing voice and a killer smile that could bring even the coldest men to their knees – hence the reason his father married her. His little brother was also a musical prodigy, knowing his way around a piano as if he was one of those little Chinese boys that were trained from when they were babies up until the moment they performed for posh crowds.

But Stefan went another way. He made sure to always follow up on his music and he is one of the best piano-players in New York, but that wasn't in his future, he said himself. He's in law school now, and Damon had to admit that he was proud of his little brother.

His father would have been disappointed if it were Damon that made that decision. _No son of mine goes to law school when he has a piano in his living room, _he would have said. But, no, god forbid that Stefan Salvatore would ever do something wrong. That just isn't physically possible.

Damon on the other hand, one of the most respected and multi-talented teachers one of America's best music schools could offer, knew his way around everything regarding music with his eyes closed, and that still never would have been enough for his father.

God, daddy issues wouldn't even begin to cover his messed up home life.

The only solace he would find there, would be his mother. That beautiful woman had taught him that no matter what life threw at you, no matter how much drama you had to deal with or how much you had on your plate, you always go through with it with a charming smile on your face and a stimulating melody in your mind. She was the light in his life, the only woman he had a sliver of respect for and admired for everything that she was.

And now here he was, supposedly packing for meeting the family of a girlfriend he wasn't even serious about, a family he was sure he was never going to see again.

When he first started things with Katherine, he was sure she just wanted to keep things casual. He was glad she wasn't one to ask when he was finally going to take her out on a date for once, or when he was going to buy her a stuffed animal. It's not that he's not that guy, he just wasn't in the mood to do that kind of stuff for her. He may sound selfish thinking that, but he didn't mind. He knew who he was, and selfless and caring wasn't one of them.

But like everything else, he told himself to stop moping. It was just a weekend.

_What could possibly happen in just one, simple, boring weekend?_

* * *

**I hope you liked this short prologue. This was more of a back-ground type of chapter to who you who our heroes are and what their background is. **

**xoxo,**

**Layla**


	2. Read All About It

**I'm soooo sorry to everybody who reviewed, followed, favorited and waited for this story for neglecting this story, it was just that everytime I opened the document this story was on I came up complete blanc. And I was just a few sentences away from finishing it, ugh. Anyway, here you have Chapter Two of MTME, I really hope you guys liked it! Again, thank you to anyone who favorited, followed, reviewed and just simply read it, you guys rock !**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the story and any and all characters I created. All rights go to their respective owners**

* * *

This weekend was supposed to be about working on her thesis, go to a frat party or two out of sheer boredom, and maybe go shopping with her girlfriends if she had found the time between all the college ´experiences´ and the actual studying. It certainly wasn´t about returning to the town where so much shit went down.

Okay, her parents survived, just like she had, but getting into a car accident, submerging into the water with no hope of ever getting out, leaves it´s mark on you. Especially if you'd already convince'd yourself you saw the lights go out in your mother´s eyes.

Okay, so maybe Tyler Lockwood wasn´t anywhere near Mystic Falls anymore, and maybe she shouldn´t be so bitter towards her old high school sweetheart, but she couldn´t help it. He left the last one of many bad dents in her memory of Mystic Falls and its residents.

So you can imagine that she wasn´t very thrilled in going back home. But, she was, on a certain level, glad to see her parents again and reunite with her little brother, who just started college that year somewhere in the south. She loved her gossipy, happy-go-lucky mother, her overprotective and crazy dad with his bad humor, her x-box attached fun-loving brother, and missed them dearly.

So she advised herself to stop moping, seeing as Bonnie and Caroline were dealing with the same conflicting feelings. Bonnie's mother was absent from her life, and her dad was never around so she considered him just as 'absent', and Caroline felt, even after her mopey-teenager phase, that her mother wanted nothing to do with her. Which was anything but true, Elena knew that, but Caroline was dead-set on knowing she knew better than everybody else, and people respected their own lives too much to go against her.

Their spirits were lifted even more when her aunt Jenna called and pre-warned her that she would be coming back to Mystic Falls, too, which they were all happy about. Jenna went with them to New York on strict orders of Elena's father to keep an eye on them, little did he know that thanks to her they were on first-name basis with most of the bouncers and bartenders in the city.

So Elena relented, and got out of the car with a smile. Her mother raced out of the door and embraced her daughter tightly, to which she had to laugh out loud.

''Easy on the ribs, mom,'' Elena squeaked.

''Sorry, honey! Oh, it's so good to see you, you look gorgeous!'' her mother let her go, but held her at arms-length, checking out the younger mini-her.

Elena grinned. ''Thanks, mom. You look good, too.''

Miranda winked, and went over to greed Caroline and Bonnie just as warmly.

''Jeremy and Grayson Gilbert, get your asses down here and help the girls with their luggage!'' Miranda ordered towards the window.

Bonnie, Caroline and Elena smiled at each other. Okay, so maybe she was overreacting?

''God, woman, remind me again why I married you?'' Grayson asked with a groan as he got downstairs. Out of the corner of her eye Elena could see Jeremy eyeballing Bonnie while he got downstairs. God, even after almost a year things hadn't changed a bit. She had to suppress a smirk when she saw Bonnie herself crane her neck to get a better look at if whom she wanted was getting down the stairs. An eye roll followed from both Elena and Caroline as she smiled broadly when Jeremy came sprinting down the stairs.

''Lena!'' he hollered, to which Elena spread her arms to make it easier for Jeremy to envelope her in a big bear-hug and twirl her around.

''It's good to see you too, Jer!'' she yelled in between giggles.

He put her down with a grin, and went to help his dad with their luggage, but before smiling at Caroline and sending a longing gaze towards Bonnie. God, those two were obvious.

After the initial settling down, talking about New York and Mystic Falls, it wasn't long until dinner time came rolling around. Considering the girls couldn't cook even if their lives depended on it, they waited in Elena's room until they were called to eat, just like old times.

''God, I missed this room,'' Elena remarked, as she looked around her cream and vanilla colored room with a wistful expression.

''I know right, this room holds almost our entire childhood.'' They always preferred to stay at the Gilberts, besides the obvious reasoning that they had the best food in the house, Elena's room was the biggest, closest to the Grill, and Caroline and Bonnie could experience the family-like moments they missed at their own homes.

''Something's poking my butt,'' Caroline said all of a sudden, making Bonnie and Elena burst out laughing.

''What, I'm serious! It's irritating as hell.''

Elena rolled her eyes in amusement. ''Lift your butt,'' she instructed.

''Wh…''

''Don't ever question Yoda,'' Elena said absentmindedly while she dug her arm under the comforter to see what was irritating Caroline.''

''Do or do not, there is no try,'' Bonnie said in a mock-ominous tone.

''May the force be with you,'' Caroline added in the same tone with squinted eyes and puckered lips, trying to look menacing.

Not three seconds later, they all started laughing. ''God, you guys are such nerds,'' Elena choked out between breaths.

''You're the one who called yourself Yoda!'' Caroline tried to reason, but shrieked when she felt something poking her but again, this one harder than the object that bothered her in the beginning.

''Sorry!'' Elena apologized. She bent over slightly, leaning against the forearm Caroline had resting against her crossed legs.

''Aha!'' she brought out.

''What do you have, Oh, almighty Yoda?'' Caroline deadpanned.

''Mind your tongue, young lady, or I'll cut it off,'' Elena joked, and brought out the mysterious object after chuckling because Caroline rolled her eyes at her comment.

''Oh my god! Mr. Cuddles!'' Elena shrieked when she fished out the small teddy bear. She held it tightly to her chest and moved her upper body from left to right, her mind filled with tear-stained nights and girls nights in with this bear.

''Oh god I can't believe it's still here!'' Bonnie shrieked. Even the most rational and judgmental of the three of them could appreciate it's sentimental value, which Elena was happy about.

''It has one eye,'' Caroline said with a pout.

Elena frowned and turned the teddy bear so it was facing her. She saw that one of his black eyes had come off, which was disappointing and a little creepy, but still Mr. Cuddles nonetheless.

''Well, now that we have our bear back, what are our plans for this weekend?'' Bonnie asked as they all were facing each other on Elena's twin bed sitting cross-legged.

''Hmm. We could go to the Grill after dinner, have a couple of drinks and catch up with some old friends who could still be in town. I'm sure my parents would want to host a barbeque tomorrow, so that'll take up the entire evening, and Sunday was another Mystic Falls event we just _have _to attend,'' Elena enumerated, exaggerated the Sunday-plans so the girls knew how _so not _excited she was about this news.

''Sucks I couldn't help,'' Caroline added wistfully.

''Ahh, the good old days, where Caroline Forbes still was Carol Lockwood's bitch,'' Bonnie said with a sigh, pretending as if she was deep in thought.

This earned Bonnie a slap against her shoulder. ''Seriously! I liked organizing that stuff, what do you think I'm going to school for? I'm pretty confident working in McDonald's doesn't require a degree,'' Caroline countered with narrowed eyelids.

''Hey! That lasted, like, six months! I needed the money. Care, you promised to never bring that up!'' Bonnie argued, her tone growing all the more desperate with every syllable.

''If you girls are done bitching, you in the mood for lasagna?'' Jeremy asked from the doorway.

Elena turned around with a smile reserved for her brother, and she had to hold in a grin when she noticed his gaze was solely fixed on the mocha-skinned beauty in the room.

''Sounds good,'' Elena said. Her eyebrows went up, and she couldn't help but smile when she saw that Jeremy turned bright red when he realized he was caught before getting the hell out of dodge.

''Well, you gals ready to go downstairs?'' Elena asked with a grunt as she pushed herself off the bed.

''Let's face the music,'' Caroline agreed. They left for downstairs after getting a nod from Bonnie.

''So, how's New York treating you girls?'' Grayson asked once they all got settled behind the table and had their food in front of them.

''New York's good, Mr. Gilbert. I have an internship lined up during the summer at an event planning service in New York. I get to help them with the events they are setting up, like concerts, charities and weddings and stuff,'' Caroline said with a dazed expression. She was really excited about this internship. Ever since she got the acceptance-letter she just couldn't stop talking about it.

''That's great! I'm proud of you, Caroline,'' Grayson said with a toothy grin, genuinely excited for her, earning him a dazzling smile from Caroline. Because her mother and her never really got along because of their personality differences, and her gay father never stuck around long enough to get to know his daughter because he was too busy living it up on the west coast of the country, Caroline never had a healthy dose of parental encouragement in her life, which left her insecure and neurotic about a lot of subjects, even if she came off confident, slutty and exuberant at times.

''What about you, Bonnie?'' Miranda asked.

''I got an internship as well at a big law firm in Albany. They're really famous and I can get a good recommendation when I start on my own,'' Bonnie said, clearly proud of herself. Elena felt a little disappointed about her current situation, and Grayson saw that about his daughter.

''What about you, squirt?'' her father asked. Normally she always commented on that irritating nickname, as if she hadn't already reached drinking-age that same year not two month before, but she wasn't paying too much attention on it.

''I made a bunch of calls, but haven't got any replies back. I was hoping at an internship at the New York Post, or the Times, but time will tell, I guess,'' she said, the disappointment evident in her small voice and expression. She was really excited to go working for one of the biggest newspapers in the state, but having had any answer to her application, not even a simple 'no', was disconcerting, to say the least.

Her mother gave her a sympathetic look so sweet and motherly it made her want to turn into liquid and disappear under the table, only to be never seen again.

''They're going to call you, honey, don't worry. Newspapers like that always slack in that department because they are such big-shots. Just wait for that call, hon, you can't do much else,'' her father tried to console her.

Even though the words were meant to be comforting, they were only eating away at Elena. It was typically something for her to turn her father's words around and convince herself that they are slacking because they don't care much about her or her resume, all the more reason not to take her.

''Anyway, where's Katherine?'' Elena asked, desperate to change te subject.

Miranda smiled. ''She'll be here shortly, I think. She said she was bringing a boyfriend and his family.''

Elena's eyebrows rose up in surprise. ''Boyfriend? Bringing him home? His family? Katherine? Seriously? This is getting very Twilight Zone-y,'' Elena said with surprise in her voice.

Grayson laughed. ''We said the same thing. Apparently it's very serious.''

''What does Katherine understand by 'serious'?'' Bonnie asked with a raised brow. Even her friends knew what her sister was like, which wasn't a very good sign.

''Does the name 'Salvatore' ring a bell?'' Miranda asked the girls.

''Bella Salvatore used to be a singer in the eighties, right?'' Elena said all of a sudden.

She chuckled when she examined the bewildered expressions around her. ''Bella Salvatore was a true rock star in her day, legend in the New York underground music back then,'' she explained while eating.

''Well, is there more you can tell about this Salvatore family?'' Caroline asked curiously.

''From what Kathy told me, she's dating a fellow teacher at Julliard, some kind of musical multi-talented prodigy guy, Tall, Dark & Handsome. Younger brother, also Tall, Dark & Handsome, he's a lawyer. Daddy's on the school board of Julliard, used to be a pianist. Mommy's an ex-rock star and is the only one in that family without a classical music-background.''

''Kat told you all of that?'' Jeremy asked, talking for the first time since they all sat down to have lunch.

Elena laughed. ''I had to pry most of it out of her. What she told me willingly is probably not appropriate for the dinner table,'' she added jokingly, earning a few giggles and chuckles, Grayson almost choking on his drink.

Elena laughed. ''Don't say I didn't warn you.''

Being back in Mystic Falls was weird enough, but actually walking around the streets was even stranger. The same shops, occupied by the same shopkeepers. The same Rottweiler, owned by their next-door neighbors slumped against the front porch, staring in front of him as if contemplating the actual meaning of his existence, which had always managed to creep her out. The supermarket ,The Mystic Market, was owned by the same family that has been running it ever since she was a baby.

The town square was the exact same, the only thing seeming different was the greeting she got when walking inside the Grill with Caroline and Bonnie. Normally, her friends would all be sitting around the pool table in their cheerleading outfits, just coming back from practice, and she'd be greeted with grins and catcalls, to which she would roll her eyes and snatch the pool cue from one of the boys, beating them like the pool shark she was known to be. She would gossip with her friends about Katherine chatting up her next victim, whom as usual, would be immediate putty in her hands.

''The Gilbert-Chicks Effect'', was what Caroline had officially named it, earning another famous eye-roll from Elena.

Not today. Today they went straight for the bar and ordered their favorite beers. They chatted animatedly and after catching with the bartender, who, not surprisingly, used to be on the football team, a year under them. They headed for the pool table and started a game, which Elena ended up winning fast enough. Elena spent most of the day looking around, trying to find familiar faces, and it surprised her as to how many people actually had stayed in Mystic Falls while she and her girlfriends went to New York as soon as they had finished high school. Lots of people walked up to them to greet them and ask them how their lives are and what they are doing here, and Elena couldn't help but feel an extreme sense of nostalgia when being asked questions like ''how is your brother's leg doing?'' or ''has your father had any success with the patient he couldn't stop talking about?'' or ''how is your music going?''

Yes, everybody knew about the musically-talented Gilbert family. Her father may be a doctor while her mother is a nurse, her father was notoriously known in town for having been the lead singer in the back in his early twenties local band, being of extreme talent. Unfortunately his girlfriend at the time – her mom – had been pregnant with Elena and he went to med-school instead. Her brother was lead singer of his own band, something he did in his free time, besides art school. Elena Gilbert was a lyrical genius, many people told her, her lyrics always touching people's hearts (when she wasn't rocking on an electric guitar to party songs with lyrics that weren't notorious for their emotional words, that is). Then there was the oldest, Katherine Pierce, choosing to go after her mother and pursue the more classical side of music. Like her little sister, she possessed a voice akin to silk and honey, her fingers known to master any kind of instrument handed to her. Whereas Elena loved to sing to artists like Alanis Morissette or Christina Aguilera, her sister tended to prefer Chopin and Bernasconi.

Eventually, Caroline started nagging them for booze, and after a very mature round of two out of three ''paper, scissor, stone,'', Elena headed towards the bar with a pout.

''Three more?'' Ben asked, stalking off when Elena nodded.

''I don't care, to be honest!'' someone groaned beside her.

Amused, Elena turned to her left to see who was raving on the phone, obviously beyond irritated with the other person on the other end of the line.

Shocked beyond belief, she watched the blue-eyed and raved-haired hottie release his anger to the receiving end. She gulped as she followed the way he grabbed his glass of bourbon, the glass framing around his strong, defined and locked jaw, her eyes straying to his Adam's apple as it bobbed up and down, the drink flowing down his throat. God, this man was perfection personified.

''Whatever, I'll be waiting at the Grill when you feel like coming back from wherever you disappeared to.'' He hung up angrily, pushing the smartphone's buttons with a vengeance, before he pushed the phone back in the pocket of his leather jacket with a force – god, that piece of clothing was so sexy on him! Perfectly outlining his muscular frame, and… - oh, Christ..

''Trouble in paradise?'' Elena! Elena! Ahh, Elena, you are such a moron most of the damn time! Before she knew it, the words tumbled out of her mouth, which she regretted almost immediately. She turned scarlet red as he turned to girl, looking her up and down with appreciation for a longer while than should be considered appropriate. She didn't mind, though. She, herself, was too busy staring at Mr. Blue Eyes.

He chuckled humorlessly, before shaking his head and motioning for another Bourbon. ''You could say that.''

Elena smiled awkwardly, not knowing what possessed her to open her mouth. ''Make that two,'' she said to Ben, who was setting her beers down. Ben nodded at her, eying Mr. Blue Eyes up and down first before stalking off for a moment to help others.

''Seems you have an admirer,'' Mr. Blue Yes commented dryly.

Elena's eyebrows shot up in surprise, and she stared at Ben for a second before returning his gaze to his perfect features. Had she mentioned he was beyond hot? ''Who? Ben? Impossible!''

He quirked an amused eyebrow, his mouth forming a smirk that almost made her legs turn to Jell-O. ''Why does that come as such a surprise to you?'' he asked with amusement, looking her up and down again.

Elena rolled her eyes at him and took a sip of her Bourbon, aware of his impressed gaze on her. Well, she was used to a lot worse. ''Ben hangs out with my brother. Jesus that'd be too awkward,'' she said with a giggle, for a moment forgetting she was with a stranger.

Mr. Blue Eyes laughed with her, enjoying every word coming out of this beauty's mouth.

''So, why the assault on your phone?'' Again, not thinking before the words tumbled out of her mouth. God, where is a gag when you need one?

The stranger sighed, staring thoughtfully at his tumbler, while making the amber liquid swirl, his brows furrowed and his gaze contemplative. ''Have you ever had the feeling that everything you do is for nothing? That whatever you try, it'll never be enough?'' he asked absentmindedly.

Elena smiled softly. ''I'm a student, trust me, I've had that feeling plenty of times.''

''That's not the same,'' he pouted gruffly, making Elena giggle and shake her head, to which he stared at her with something in his eyes she couldn't place.

''Does that matter? The feeling is the same, the situation is just different.''

He stared at her for a minute, really examining every feature. The heart-shaped face, the brows eyes with impossibly naturally long lashes, the way her eyebrow quirked up when she was skeptical. It reminded him of someone, but he stopped himself before he started comparing the two. Just watching her smile and grin as her friends walked over was more than enough to separate her miles and miles away from his girlfriend.

''Where are our drinks?'' a pretty blonde asked petulantly with her arms crossed, staring Elena down with a murderous gaze that would put a guy down immediately. Not this girl, it seemed.

''Just chatting with a friend. What did Ben want from you?'' she asked the blonde.

''He wanted your famous skills up there, see what he missed.''

He watched as Elena chuckled and rolled her eyes. So, this girl was musically talented? Hmm, interesting.

The beauty turned towards him with an apologetic grin before standing up. ''Seems I'm being summoned. It was nice to meet you, stranger. And, whoever makes you feel that way isn't worth it. There is always someone better out there.''

''Always?'' he asked her with a boyish grin.

She grinned back before walking away. ''Always.

* * *

The moment her fingers hit the keys, he could have sworn his jaw was permanently dislocated. What was even more surprising was the sheet music that was provided for her, written in pencil. She laughed, her eyes twinkling when she hit the first notes perfectly. She didn't even have to stare at the sheet music, the original song known by heart. He wasn't surprised when she started singing and her voice seemed like liquid honey. The second she opened her mouth, all heads turned towards the stage and stared at her with small nostalgic smiles on their faces.

**You've got the words to change a nation but you're biting your tongue**

**You've spent a life time stuck in silence afraid you'll say something wrong**

**If you one ever hears it, how we gonna learn your song?**

**So come on, come on, come on, come one.**

**You've got a heart as loud as lions, so why let your voice be tamed?**

**Baby we're a little different, there's no need to be ashamed**

**You've got the light to fight the shadows, so stop hiding it away**

**Come one, come on**

**I wanna sing, I wanna shout**

**I wanna scream till the words dry out**

**So put it in all of the papers, I'm not afraid**

**They can read all about it, read all about it**

**Oh oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh oh-oh-oh oh-oh-oh oh-oh-oh oh-oh-oh**

''So, the rumors were true?'' he heard girl behind her ask her friend, to which the friend nodded. ''She, together with Bonnie and Caroline. I heard Katherine is back to, wonder where she is, or maybe she'd find a way to occupy herself already,'' the girl giggled.

Damon did nothing but roll his eyes before he resumed his staring at the girl with the most beautiful and engaging voice he had ever the honor and pleasure of listening to. The lyrics, written by herself he assumed, seemed to come right from the heart, the timbre and soulfulness in her voice reaching ever far corner of the Grill so not one person was doing much else but stare at her. She seemed to be a local too, if any of the whispering and the encouraging smiles were anything to go on.

Her blonde friend was hollering, making the beauty grin during her song, her eyes going to her friends, making her roll her eyes in the middle of her song. She didn't stray or mess up a single note, though.

**At night we're waking up the neighbors while we sing away the blues**

**Making sure that we remember yeah cause we all matter too**

**If the truth has been forbidden thhen we're breaking all the rules**

**So come on, come on, come on, come on**

**Let's get the tv and the radio to play our tune again**

**It's 'bout time we got some airplay of our version of events**

**There's no need to be afraid, I will sing with you my friend**

**Come on, come on**

**I wanna sing, I wanna shout**

**I wanna scream till the words dry out**

**So put it in all of the papers, I'm not afraid**

**They can read all about it, read all about it**

**Oh oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh oh-oh-oh oh-oh-oh oh-oh-oh oh-oh-oh**

Who the hell was this girl?! He was absolutely enthralled. So much, that when he saw that Katherine was calling him, he ignored her, his gaze to stuck at staring at the girl in front of him. Why wasn't she attending his school?

**Yeah, we're all wonderful, wonderful people**

**So when did we all get so fearful**

**Now we're finally finding our voices**

**So take a chance, come help me sing this**

**Yeah, we're all wonderful, wonderful people**

**So when did we all get so fearful**

**Now we're finally finding our voices**

**So take a chance, come help me sing this**

The piano piece got heavier, got louder, together with her voice, making him gape at her in wonder. The voice of a girl her size shouldn't be that strong, that was for sure. There was a star behind that piano, and he was surprised why she wasn't attending his school, or worse, somewhere in a recording studio with a pompous producer, dollar signs in his eyes like some comical cartoon as he listened to her sing her heart out.

**I wanna sing, I wanna shout**

**I wanna scream till the words dry out**

**So put it in all of the papers, I'm not afraid**

**They can read all about it, read all about it**

**Oh oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh oh-oh-oh oh-oh-oh oh-oh-oh oh-oh-oh**

**I wanna sing, I wanna shout**

**I wanna scream till the words dry out**

**So put it in all of the papers, I'm not afraid**

**They can read all about it, read all about it oh**

His heart seemed to have skipped a beat as they both stared at each other for a second, and shared a secret smile. He winked at her before people came storming her way, and a big grin made its way on her face, lighting up the entire room for him.

He groaned when he fished his incessantly buzzing phone out of his pocket.

_Dinner with the family at 7. Don't be late._

_Katherine._

He rolled his eyes. His eyes darted towards the grand piano on the stage one last time, but the pretty brunette seemed to have disappeared. With one last disappointed and gruff sigh, he emptied his tumbler in one gulf, dropped some money on the bar and got the hell out of there.

* * *

**Hope you guys liked it! See you next chapter (review if you want to see it ;) ghehe)**

**Song used: Emeli Sandé - Read All About It (You should really look it up, it's beautiful)**

**XOXO,**

**Layla**


End file.
